Duma dabbs casualties in Deir ez-Zor as “fake news”

The Chairman of the Russian State Duma Defense Committee Vladimir Shamanov said media reports about a significant number of casualties in a US-led coalition attack in the Syrian province of Deir ez-Zor on February 7 are “fake” news.

“Judging by the intelligence agencies’ assessments, there are many signs showing that someone is deliberately overstating the actual situation,” Shamanov said according to TASS news agency.

“The information is being verified. However, there is no true and reliable information, unfortunately,” the head of the Committee concluded, admitted.

According to the Russian Defense Ministry, on February 7, a Syrian militia unit was attacked by the US-led coalition in the Deir ez-Zor province, as a result of lacking coordination with the Russian military. The attack left 25 militiamen wounded. However, there were no Russian military servicemen in the area, the Defense Ministry said.